Posted on 12/25/2012 3:35:16 PM PST by rlmorel
Over the years, my wife and I have taken this time of year to make donations to various organizations. My wife has generally chosen different avenues to help than I have (in the civilian sector locally) since I tend to choose organizations dedicated to helping the military (the exception being the Salvation Army) such as the Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society, The Wounded Warrior Project, etc. (I was a brat and served myself, so I prefer giving to those types of organizations)
One of the organizations I have given money to over the years is the USO, and for personal reasons, I have decided to contribute elsewhere.
Can any Freepers suggest any other organizations they have given to that do a good job of getting assistance to those who need it in our military community? I am particularly interested in those that have low overhead and pass a higher portion of donations on to those in need.
Wounded Warrior does some good stuff. They’ve also made some fairly recent anti-gun decisions though.
VFW-National Home for Children.
The Injured Marine Semper FI Fund, one of the top rated of all charities. Very low administrative costs, packed with caring volunteers. More of your contribution goes directly to helping the injured marines. I give to them each year.
Check out the following link. Has many to choose from.
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=531
Operation Homefront Texas helps military service members and also the families of deployed troops with things like cash for rent/electric, food, school supplies, etc. My wife is on the board of directors of O/H TX. They do a lot to help directly versus going through a large organization.
Fisher House is excellent; you can select a location near you.
I wouldn’t give a penny to the WWP
They say no to guns because its controversial but throwing shindigs at the Playboy Mansion tell me that they are not friendly to my views and beliefs
SEALS.....
No they have not. They did not want to go onto a gun talk radio show because of the politics behind it. They did not want to be seen as promoting political agenda. They still sponsor shooting events and hunts for Wounded Warriors.
Wounded Warrior is pretty good, and as others have mentioned the Fisher House.
one more that was not on the list: http://www.operationfirstresponse.org/
it provides financial aid for living expenses. rent, school, utilities, etc.
The Navy Relief Fund. They help out sailors and Marines with everyday problems.
I don’t know if there is a specific organization but I am personally helping out some local elderly vets with housekeeping and running errands. I know there are a lot of younger vets that need help but there is really a huge aging population of vets and their spouses that need some day to day help. The trouble is they are to proud to ask for help and don’t want to bother anyone. Just simple tasks are getting hard for them and helping(or hiring help for them) with laundry or light housekeeping makes their life so much easier. Even dropping off a meal once a week is a great help.
I agree with Wounded Warrior. You could also donate to the Warrior and Family Support Centers that support the vets in rehab, which is less political than the parent organization.
Can you donate to the Salvation Army specifically for their services to help vets?
He's a conservative and backs conservative causes. He travels frequently to entertain the troops both overseas and stateside with his LT Dan Band.
He teams up with groups that build housing for soldiers who lost limbs and eyesight in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He seems to be one of the hollywood guys who GETS IT ! http://www.garysinisefoundation.org/
We give to Team Rubicon.... http://teamrubiconusa.org/
“Can you donate to the Salvation Army specifically for their services to help vets?”
I don’t know, you’d probably have to call and find out.
There are alot of people here who don’t like Wounded Warrior Project, but they helped out with my son. They got the VA off their ass, they helped us find ways to cope with the effects of my son’s brain injury, and helped him to feel some what normal again. I cant thank them enough for the help they have provided my family.
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